Michigan's 18 Hits Lead to Midweek Victory Over Toledo

Wednesday, April 9

Ann Arbor, Mich.

3:05 PM

Michigan

18-8

Toledo

9-16

Toledo

Michigan

Kevin Cislo (Michigan Photography)

Michigan's 18 Hits Lead to Midweek Victory Over Toledo

4/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Wilpon Baseball Complex, Ray Fisher Stadium)
Score: Michigan 12, Toledo 4
Records: U-M (18-8), Toledo (9-16)
Next Game: Friday, April 11 -- at Illinois (Champaign, Ill.), 6:05 p.m. CDT

• Boxscore

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Five members of the University of Michigan baseball team pounded out three hits apiece, as the Wolverines combined for 18 hits en route to a 12-4 victory over the Toledo Rockets Wednesday afternoon (April 9) at the Wilpon Baseball Complex, home to Ray Fisher Stadium. With the victory, the Wolverines (18-8) improved to 7-0 at home this season.

Junior CF Kevin Cislo(Novi, Mich./Novi HS) led the hit parade, going 3-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored. Senior 1B Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion HS), junior DH Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS), senior LF Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair HS) and fifth-year senior 2B Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) each posted three hits for the day.

On the mound for the Wolverines, junior LHP Mike Wilson (Pickering, Ontario/Pine Ridge Secondary) collected his first win of the season (1-3), as he worked the scoreless second inning in relief of senior/junior RHP Michael Powers (St. Clair Shores, Mich./South HS).

Toledo jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Rocket leadoff hitter Drew Hoisington scored on an Aaron Dudley single into right-center field. The single by Dudley put runners on first and second with only one out and a 1-0 UT lead -- however, Powers induced a fielders choice and a fly ball to center to get out of the inning in his first start of the season.

U-M responded with four runs in the bottom half of the frame with off of a pair of home runs. With Cislo on third following his walk and a double off the bat of Recknagel, Putnam launched his third home run of the year that cut through the wind and cleared the left-center field wall for a 3-1 Wolverine lead. All three of Putnam's jacks this season have come at home.

VanBuskirk made the score 4-1 with a two-out blast that cleared the right field wall just to the right of the scoreboard. It marked the second home run of the season for the tri-captain and his first inside the Wilpon Baseball Complex.

The Maize and Blue added four more runs in the second inning with all four runs coming with two outs. Following a balk that moved junior SS Jason Christian (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland HS) up to second base, Cislo drove him home for the first of his career-best three RBI with a single back up the middle.

Putnam notched his fourth RBI of the ballgame when he singled home Cislo from second after Recknagel singled in the previous at bat. Recknagel scored and Putnam moved to third and a wild pitch during the at bat of junior tri-captain 3B Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS). Abraham extended his hitting streak to eight games with a single later in that at bat with an RBI single off the brick monster in left field that brought Putnam in from second to make the score 8-1 after the second inning.

Another four runs were scored by U-M in the third inning with a two-run RBI single by Cislo and a two-run shot which carried over the brick wall in left. With two outs, Mahler singled to left and Christian doubled into right field to put runners on second and third. Cislo then ripped a single into left field which scored Mahler with ease and had Christian sliding in front of a tag by the catcher to make the score 10-1.

Recknagel, the Big Ten leader in home runs, improved that number to 10 when he sent a 2-2 pitch over the 28-foot wall in left field for a 12-1 U-M lead. The blast, Michigan's third of the day, was the first to clear the monster in left and the seventh bomb hit at home by the Wolverines this season.

After a one-hit scoreless inning by freshman RHP Travis Smith(Austin, Texas/Austin HS), sophomore LHP Eric Katzman(Harrington Park, N.J./Old Tappan HS) took over and tossed 3.0-scoreless innings himself. Katzman allowed just two hits and a walk, with one strikeout over those 3.0 innings.

The Wolverines return to Big Ten Conference play Friday evening (April 11) with a 6:05 p.m. CDT start against the Illinois Fighting Illini. U-M and UI will battle for the top spot in the league, as the the Wolverines and Illini are first and second in the standings, respectively.

Notes

Michigan used a season-high 18 hit attack that included three-hit games from senior 1B Nate Recknagel, fifth-year senior 2B Leif Mahler, senior LF Derek VanBuskirk, junior DH Zach Putnam and junior CF Kevin Cislo in the 12-4 win over Toledo on Wednesday (April 9).

The Wolverines hit a team-best three homers in the win over Toledo with round-trippers by Putnam, Recknagel and VanBuskirk.

Putnam's three-run homer in the first inning proved to be the game-winning hit. Putnam was 3-for-5 with four RBI and the homer was Putnam's third game-winner of the season and the 13th of his career. Putnam jumped his batting average to .323 (32-for-99) with three homers and 25 RBI. Putnam has 31 career multi-hit games and eight career three-hit games with four three-hit games this season.

Senior 1B Recknagel was 3-for-5 against Toledo Wednesday with a double and a home run, the first hit over the "Brick Monster" down the line in left in the refurbished Ray Fisher Stadium in the Wilpon Baseball Complex.

For the season Recknagel, is leading the team on hitting (.400, 38-for-95), runs (25), homers (10), RBI (31), slugging (.779) and on base percentage (.464). He has hits in 23 of U-M's 28 games played this season with hits in 122 of his 151 career games as a Wolverine.

With 30 career homers as a Wolverine, Recknagel moved into a tie for fifth place on U-M's all-time home run list with Bryan Besco (1995-99), Mike Cervenak (1996-99) and former Major Leaguer Chris Sabo (1981-83). Next up on the U-M career homer list is Jim Paciorek (32 homers, 1979-82) in fourth place. Recknagel, who played at Oakland University as a freshman in 2005, has 35 career collegiate homers.

Junior CF/2B Cislo was 3-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBI against Toledo. It was Cislo's second three-hit effort in the last three games giving him nine multi-hit games this season and 27th multi-hit games in hi U-M career. Cislo, hitting .326 (31-for-95), has started all 26 games with 15 starts in CF and 11 at 2B.

Fifth-year senior Mahler was 3-for-5 for his fifth multi-hit game of the season. He has 42 career multiple-hit games.

Contact: Gene Skidmore (734) 647-4423